Over the weekend, this group which I am voluteering in had a little election/leadership renewal thing going on. It was all very jolly and as with most volunteer groups I have been in, people were just unwilling to step up and assume the mantle and responsibility of leadership.

This time round was no different. Getting people to take over the previous batch of leaders was excruciatingly difficult. The new leaders, it seemed to me, did not seem too keen on taking up the leadership positions. And in their thank you speeches, alluded to being sabohed. Of course they said it with a smile but one can't but detect as sense of resentment and reluctance in taking up the post.

Not the best way to start your term in charge of a group, which I reckon to be doing some real good. Of course I would, otherwise why would I join it if not?

But is reluctance to lead necessarily a bad thing for the group?

Well, for one, it means that members in the group are not ready to take ownership of the group. I suppose if I do care about the group, I would want to make sure that it goes in the right direction, or at least my direction, which I deem to be good.

In the long run, this can't be a good thing. If the people in the group are not bothered about the group's direction and vision, and merely content to be spectators rather than spec-actors (heh) - active participants in the drama unfolding before their eyes - then the group is going to end up in the dumps. Nonchalance breeds apathy.

I doubt the group has reached that stage. People within the group still care a lot about what happens to it. But the thing is this group of people are not exactly erm young anymore. And this group needs to reach out to the youth, which is its primary objective. But there is the very real possibility that the older group of leaders will have to fade out of the scene very soon. Who is left? Young, nonchalant people who are too new to the group to ensure that the group continues.

Such is the importance of constant leadership renewal. And it needs to take place at regular intervals. If it does not, the group will surely wither and die.

On the other hand, reluctance to take up the leadership positions may also mean that those who take it up are the right people. These people rightly see the positions of leadership to be ones of great responsibility and importance, hence the need to treat such positions with great reverance. It is after all keeping together a group which does good work for society.

I happen to be one of those young nonchalant young person who was inducted into one of the leadership positions. It happened all quite suddenly. I was asked by one of the leaders to help out with a project for the group. Namely, setting up and maintaining a blog for the group.

But now I am to attend monthly meetings and group activities. I hardly think I am prepared for those at this point of time. See my work takes up chunks of my time. It's not that it takes up 20 hours a day, but it's irregular. Sometimes I spend 12 hours at work, sometimes 15, sometimes 8. So I cannot promise the group that I will be there all the time.

Still I said yes to that position because I think I care enough for this group, although I've only been in it and sporadically attending their activities for a year now.

In anycase, it was one of their teas that inspired this blog. Woopee. For me, Not that people actually read this anyway.